Digitalization of healthcare and lifestyle sectors is the major driver behind the significant growth of wearable devices. One of the first wearables, like fitbands and smartwatches, was introduced to work as a companion while users can take a break from their smartphones. With time, wearable companies started focusing more on fitness tracking and health monitoring.
New wearables like smart rings, medical patches, smart glasses, smart jewelry, and exoskeletons entered the market and shifted all focus towards medical convenience. Most of us brought our first smartwatch to have the experience of receiving messages on a wrist device and to avoid watching phone screens after every vibration. However, our escape became our biggest distraction.
From Convenience to Obsession: Our Tech-Driven Lives
Many users buy wearables to reduce their screen time on smartphones and personal computer setups. While companies claim that these wearables allow you to choose which notification is worthy of checking your phone. The actual truth is that each reminder, notification vibration, and alarm on your smartwatch or any other wearable forces you to check your smartphone.
Notifications are a marketing tool and a form of persuasion. Let’s consider an example, you start working on your draft and keep your phone aside on silent. Now, you have a smartwatch on your hands, and you can see the display light up with every notification, distracting you and forcing you to check your phone.
Wearables Are Triggering Anxiety in Users
While some users are good at handling distractions, there is another issue waiting for you at the corner. It is “ANXIETY.” Wearable devices induce anxiety in their users if not used sensibly. While suggestions and reports may motivate you to be healthier or take more steps, these reports can also push you into aggressive health monitoring habits.
If you are a sleep tracking user, you must have worried about your high stress levels while sleeping at least once. Many sleep tracking devices have reported errors in which users receive much higher stress levels than actual while sleeping. Such faulty reports make you anxious, you believe that you are under stress, and your body performs what you believe, leading to actual anxiety.
This has become a common issue among wearable users, and it is termed “wearable-induced health anxiety.” Dr Emma Richardson, researcher at Imperial College London, said, “We’re seeing an increasing number of patients whose health anxiety has been triggered or worsened by their wearable devices. The technology made to reassure them about their health is having the opposite effect.”
Be Smart With Your Wearable Devices
Even with all these issues, there are several ways to use wearables and build a healthy relationship with technology. Boundaries and limitations are crucial factors while working with advanced technology. If you are a wearable user and don’t want to spiral into anxiety, make sure to use mindful strategies like.
Create healthy boundaries for wearable device usage. While alarms, reminders, and notifications keep you on track, they can also make you loose the track. Make sure to turn off most notifications during working hours, sleeping time, and relaxation periods.
Many reports suggest that users with customized notification settings as per their needs are less likely to have anxiety because of wearables.
Focus on long-term results. Customize your goals based on monthly targets and do not engage with daily stats. Day-to-day variation is normal, and long-term activities count when it comes to overall health.
Monitor your intuition and emotions. Don’t rely completely on technology. If your wearable keeps sending you alerts for high stress levels. Don’t panic, notice how you are feeling physically and mentally. Be mindful of your body, and if you are still not sure, go for a medical checkup.
Use Wearables Smartly, Not Blindly
Technology has its own limitations. It is affected by several factors and can have technical as well as usage errors. Use it as a tool to make things easier for you, don’t let it control your emotions and physical activities. Think of your needs and achieve them with the use of health tracking wearables.
Don’t rush for any device because of the trend, and never replace medical advice and checkups with wearable suggestions and reports.
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